Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing at Minnesota North College

Minnesota North College's nursing program launches graduates into solid-paying careers—$61,116 in the first year—but there's a catch you need to see. While this might sound respectable, it trails both the national median ($68,409) and the Minnesota state median ($66,484) by significant margins. More tellingly, among the 24 nursing programs across Minnesota, this one sits at just the 40th percentile. Compare that to top Minnesota options like Minnesota West ($74,877) or Minnesota State Southeast ($74,091), and you're looking at a $10,000-13,000 annual earnings gap right out of the gate.

The debt load of $24,226 is reasonable relative to first-year income—you're borrowing less than half a year's salary, which is manageable territory for nursing. Earnings do grow 7% over four years to $65,320, though this still keeps graduates well below what peers from stronger Minnesota programs earn even in their first year. The concerning pattern here isn't catastrophic debt but rather leaving money on the table when better-performing nursing programs exist within the same state system, often at similar costs.

If your child is set on this location or has compelling reasons to attend Minnesota North specifically, the fundamentals work—nursing jobs are plentiful and the debt is controllable. But if flexibility exists, those higher-ranked Minnesota programs represent a materially better return on the same investment of time and tuition dollars.